Three charged in porn sweep

Belleville Police Det. Sgt. Pat Kellar sits at his desk Wednesday, December 5, 2018 in Belleville, Ont. He and other officers monitor online traffic, including on such popular platforms as Facebook and Instagram (background), in their hunt for child predators. Luke Hendry/Belleville Intelligencer/Postmedia NetworkLuke Hendry / Luke Hendry/The Intelligencer

Two Belleville men and one from Trenton are among 122 people charged in a month-long, provincial crackdown on child pornography. Belleville police and officers from 26 other police services took part in the operation. In total, police identified 55 victims and laid 551 charges; further charges are expected. Officers announced details Wednesday in a press conference in Vaughan, north of Toronto. “We will do everything we can to reduce the threat child predators pose to our children,” said Deputy Commissioner Rick Barnum of the Ontario Provincial Police. The morning’s speakers said they’re fighting an “epidemic” of Internet child exploitation, or ICE, and that November’s efforts are merely a “snapshot” of what they’re facing. One Belleville man, Jason Andrew Barry, 36, faces a long list of charges, including sexual assault with a weapon and making child pornography. Charges against a 43-year-old Trenton suspect, whose name was withheld by the OPP, include three counts of making child pornography. The third local, Johnson Michael Rae, 30, of Belleville is charged with possession of child pornography and making it available. Belleville Det. Sgt. Pat Kellar said such cases have become common. Officers uncover cases of their own but are also in regular contact with other justice officials internationally when online traffic turns up suspicious activity. “I would say weekly hits, for sure,” Kellar said. “I have between 15 and 20 open cases right now and they’re still coming in.”Numerous charges He said Barry’s case began in May when police received “a call for service” related to violence in the city. Evidence related to child pornography then “came to light very quickly,” he said, and police laid those charges Nov. 19, again arresting Barry, who was already in custody. Kellar would not discuss the initial call or the resulting charges laid against Barry. He noted there’s a publication ban on releasing anything which could identify young people whom police say were victims. But in November, police charged Barry with nine counts of possession of child pornography, eight counts of making child pornography, two counts of sexual assault with a weapon, seven of sexual interference, six of sexual assault of a person younger than 16, and eight of voyeurism involving a person younger than 16. Barry is to appear Dec. 14 in Belleville court, though no resolution is expected on that day, Kellar said. Police arrested Johnson Rae Nov. 28 while acting upon information from police officers of Kingston’s ICE unit. “Kingston ICE began an online investigation where they identified an IP (Internet provider) address in Belleville potentially sharing child pornography,” Kellar said. That resulted in a search of a Belleville home. Rae was released with conditions and is to make his first court appearance Dec. 20 in Belleville. Few details of the Trenton case were available Wednesday. The OPP have charged a man with three counts of making child porn, three counts of possession of child porn, two of making child porn available, two of voyeurism involving a person younger than 16, and one count each of sexual assault and sexual interference.New investigator Belleville’s police services board has authorized the hiring of a full-time ICE officer to start work in May. “They will have their plate full,” said Kellar. “There’s so much just getting thrown at us it’s hard to the proactive investigations that we’d really like to do.” Those investigations include going undercover by posing as a child user of online chat rooms and other websites. He said simply creating a username that appears to be that of a preteen girl results in a flood of users trying to contact the fictional teen. “They know you’re a girl. They know you’re 12. And they’re all over you,” Kellar said. “We’ve got some of those before the courts right now.” It may take police several months or even longer before they can press charges, he said. Kellar, a father who’s spent four years working part-time on ICE cases, said there are times when officers must take time away from the computer to clear their heads. “It’s difficult to look at for sure. These kids have gone through so much and they’re re-victimized every time someone looks at it.” Despite that, he said, “it’s very satisfying” to press charges. “Absolutely the drive is there. Not everyone can do it and I understand that. “To save even one child is worth it.”Success in court He said local courts are “fantastic” in prosecuting offenders, with conviction rates and sentences both the upper ranges provincially. “We certainly have had a lot of success on conviction rates in these cases and we certainly have had some pretty significant sentences,” said Hastings County Crown Attorney Lee Burgess. He said he did not have statistical data. “The judges see the significant harm that’s caused by child pornography and they take that deterrent approach to it. “My concern is the proliferation of child pornography seems to be growing with the Internet,” said Burgess. “The impact of this upon children – not only the making of it, but the sharing of it – can have a lifelong, devastating impact.” Burgess and Kellar said people don’t realize that when intimate images are shared – such as sexting between teens – they may become public permanently and wind up in predators’ possession. “There’s no getting these back once they’re shared,” Burgess said. Kellar added the images or comments may haunt a person forever, surfacing when potential employers search a person’s name, etc. Burgess also said exploitation crimes also harm the offenders and their families. “Getting caught, as many people will be, will have devastating effects on the people themselves, let alone the children.” Both said people charged with child pornography crimes often plead guilty because the digital evidence is so damning.Public role Police at the news conference encouraged citizens to learn more about the signs of child exploitation – suggesting they do so online at protectchildren.ca – and report concerns to police. Kellar said signs of exploitation vary by victim but parents should watch for changes in mood or school performance. That’s if they’re old enough to be in school. “Some of these victims are so young, they cannot report the crimes because they have not uttered their first word,” OPP Insp. Tina Chalk said in Vaughan. “If you watch, distribute or access pornography, you may as well be holding the hand of the offender who is committing the abuse.” OPP Staff Sgt. Sharon Hanlon, co-ordinator of the Provincial Strategy to Protect from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet, said the people arrested in November come from all walks of life and across the province. They include 12 with previous convictions for related offences, 11 minors and one female. “These people are our neighbours, relatives and friends. These are people we invite into our worlds because we trust them,” Hanlon said. Belleville Det. Sgt. Roy Kendall attended the conference but was unavailable for comment. He, too, has warned of the permanence of the Internet and of the need for children to use It safely. “Parents have to be so much more vigilant,” said Kellar. “The kid can be contacting anybody around the world and Mum and Dad may not know.” He said parents need to know what their children are doing online and with whom and monitor that activity carefully. lhendry@postmedia.com